ALPINE NATIONALS: Ciccone beats Mancuso for the GS title; Western wins regions cup

ALPINE NATIONALS: Ciccone beats Mancuso for the GS title; Western wins regions cupCARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine — Caitlin Ciccone toppled Julia Mancuso on Wednesday, snatching her U.S. Championship giant slalom title.

Ciccone, 21-year-old from Bethlehem, N.H., was sitting second behind the giant slalom Olympic champion after the opening run. But a cool head and solid skiing landed her on the top step of the podium with a combined time of 2 minutes, 17.96 seconds.

"I've been skiing really well all year. It was just a matter of coming out on race day. I've been training really well," Ciccone said. "I think about it just like training. It's just another day but there's the clock on it. I try to pull that into the race. I'm not really focused on the result."

Mancuso, of Olympic Valley, Calif., had a .25 advantage going into the second run but Ciccone seemed unconcerned about the well-decorated woman standing between her and her first national title.

"It's all about my run on that day," said Ciccone, who locked up a place on next season's World Cup team by finishing the season ranked second in the NorAm super G standings. "I was just thinking about my skiing, I don't really think about anyone else.

"I'm psyched for the U.S. because we haven't been doing that well in GS. (Julia's) had potential all year. She just happened to do it at the Olympics. I think that's awesome but it doesn't change how I am.
I'm not intimidated or anything. It's something to strive for."

Mancuso lacked her usual intensity her final trip down the Narrow Gauge course and slipped to second in 2:18.10.

"I wanted to in the start hut. My head was there but my body wasn't," Mancuso said. "A couple of sections I was holding back."

Mancuso, who just turned 22, appeared unbothered by the upset. In fact, she was enthusiastic about the potential she had witnessed.

Ranked 11th in the world, Mancuso is the top American in the women's World Cup discipline standings. Kristina Koznick is ranked 28th, while Sarah Schleper, injured for the better part of the season, finished 36th in the standings.

"For me, watching the girls struggle and struggle on the World Cup, it's really fun to come back and get beat at Nationals," Mancuso said. "I'm the only girl making second run at World Cup in GS in most of the races.

"So for me to come back and have two decent runs, with no real mistakes, and be able to be beat is really a positive thing for them to look at and see. They're good skiers and they can be up there with me on the World Cup."

Stacey Cook of Truckee, Calif., the winner of Sunday's super G, recorded her third podium finish of the championship, placing third in 2:18.24. Cook was also third in the downhill.

Megan McJames of Park City, Utah, who finished first in this season's overall NorAm standings, crossed fourth in 2:18.64. She was the top junior of the day.

Several women were thwarted in the first run: 17 failed to finish, while four were DQed, including Kirsten Clark of Raymond, Maine.

"I'm going to head to Raymond a little sooner than I was planning, but it will be nice," said Clark, who grew up racing at Sugarloaf. Clark won Saturday's downhill and finished second in the super G.

Women's Giant Slalom
Sugarloaf, Maine
March 29, 2006
1. Caitlin CICCONE, USA 2:17.96
2. Julia MANCUSO, USA 2:18.10
3. Stacey COOK, USA 2:18.24
4. Megan MCJAMES, USA 2:18.64
5. Libby LUDLOW, USA 2:19.69
6. Lauren ROSS, USA 2:19.98
7. Jenny LATHROP, USA 2:22.99
8. Laurel CARTER, USA 2:23.10
9. Megan HUGHES, USA 2:23.72
10. Abbi LATHROP, USA 2:24.38
11. Chelsea MARSHALL, USA 2:24.40
12. Chirine NJEIM, LIB 2:25.88
13. Julia LITTMAN, USA 2:25.95
14. Klara KRIZOVA, CZE 2:26.26
15. Natasha WOODWORTH, USA 2:26.58
16. Hilary MCCLOY, USA 2:26.59
17. Stephanie PETERS, USA 2:26.61
18. Laurenne ROSS, USA 2:27.02
19. Bryna MCCARTY, USA 2:27.34
20. Leanne SMITH, USA 2:27.77
21. Kiley STAPLES, USA 2:27.99
22. Cynthia TESSIER, CAN 2:28.34
23. Laura SCRIPTURE, USA 2:28.35
24. Valerie KECHIAN, USA 2:28.47
25. Sterling GRANT, USA 2:29.04
26. Kirsten COOPER, USA 2:29.18
27. Lisa PERRICONE, USA 2:29.58
28. Kate WILLIAMS, USA 2:29.68
29. Hannah CAMETTI, USA 2:29.93
30. Courtney HAMMOND, USA 2:30.17
31. Alice MCKENNIS, USA 2:30.70
32. Amy HARRIS, USA 2:30.88
33. Kate BRAGG, USA 2:30.95
34. Corrinne ROTTER, USA 2:31.89
35. Heidi HILLENBRAND, USA 2:33.42
36. Nicole DVORAK, USA 2:33.57
37. Ann WEST, USA 2:33.85
38. Eliza HAWKINS, USA 2:34.22
39. Victoria STEVENS, CAN 2:34.33
40. Hayley JONES, USA 2:34.66
41. Jennifer ALLEN, USA 2:35.37
42. Kate HOSKING, USA 2:35.74
43. Gillian HEARN, USA 2:37.65
44. Annie RENDALL, USA 2:38.04
45. Kelsey RODDICK, USA 2:38.70
46. Erika GHENT, USA 2:39.20
47. Georgia WETTLAUFER, USA 2:54.76
DNS 1st: Kristin LEGGETT, USA.
DNF 1st: Tereza CHAROVA, Lucie ZIKOVA, CZE; Montana MOLYNEAUX, Jennah DURHAM, CAN; Lyndee JANOWIAK, Julia FORD, Katie HARTMAN, Hailey DUKE, Hannah VICTORY, Amy COCHRAN, Kara CROW, Jilyne MCDONALD, Jonna MENDES, Keely Blair KELLEHER, Jamie KINGSBURY, Bryana PARK, Kristen MIELKE, USA.
DSQ 1st: Melissa GILL, Kirsten CLARK, Katharine HITCHCOCK, Resi STIEGLER, USA.
DNS 2nd: Kirsten TURNER, USA; Sabrina MOCELLIN, FRA.
DNF 2nd: Ginevra DA RIN, ITA; Chelsea LYNCH, Kaylin RICHARDSON, USA.

Equipment
Women's GS, Sugarloaf, Maine, March 29, 2006 Skier, skis/boots/bindings 1. Ciccone, Volkl/Lange 2. Mancuso, Rossignol/Lane/Rossignol 3. Cook, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol

It is the first U.S. National Championship for Caitlin Ciccone and her third podium all from the 2006 event. … She was also 2nd in both the slalom and combined. … She is 15 days into her 21st year from Littleton, NH. … She came through the Franconia Ski Club and Burke Mountain Academy and is a member of the U.S. Ski Team's C-team.

It is the 23rd U.S. National Championship podium for Julia Mancuso. … She was the defending GS champion. … It is her fourth podium of the 2006 event having won the combined, placed second in DH and GS and third in slalom. … She was fourth in super G.

It is the third U.S. National Championship podium for Stacey Cook, all from this season. … She won the SG and was third in DH. … Winning margin was .14 of a second. … Top four were within a second. … Top five within two seconds.